The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show is an American animated sitcom that ran from May 3, 2011 through August 31, 2014 on Cartoon Network. The show features characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoons updated for the 21st century. On July 29, 2014, producer Tony Cervone confirmed that the series would not be renewed for a third season in light of Wabbit. Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run is an animated direct-to-video spin-off film released on August 4, 2015. Synopsis The concept of the show revolves around roommates Bugs and Daffy living in Los Angeles with "colorful neighbors" and other characters including Lola Bunny, Tina Russo, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Gossamer, Yosemite Sam, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Pete Puma, and more. The show's plots contain less visual gags, and are more adult-oriented and dialogue-driven than has been seen in past Looney Tunes shows such as love triangles, employment, and rooming. Wraparound segments The show also features two other segments which wrap around the main plot. These consist of: * Merrie Melodies – Two-minute music videos (with the exception of "Daffy Duck the Wizard", which runs for twice as long) showcasing classic characters singing brand new original songs. They appear midway through most of the episodes in Season 1 and at the end of most episodes in Season 2 in place of the Road Runner shorts. * Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote – A series of CGI shorts depicting Wile E. Coyote's attempts to catch the Road Runner. These segments have stopped production after Season One. Characters Main characters * Bugs Bunny (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Bugs Bunny lives a life of upper-middle-class suburban leisure, based off income from a popular Carrot Peeler that he invented. He lives in a well-appointed house, drives a compact car, and provides room and board for his friend, Daffy Duck. He spends his time watching sports on TV, hanging out with his friends and neighbors (mostly drawn from the classic Looney Tunes roster), and dating Lola Bunny (the latter under some protest). He generally plays the straight man to Daffy and Lola's various bouts of insanity, although he is not without his own quirks. He has exhibited somewhat compulsive/addictive tendencies, like having a high caffeine intake with coffee, becoming addicted to an energy drink that had dangerous chemicals in it, nearly leveled his own house in an increasingly deranged attempt to put up a shelf, and getting hooked on foods that contain butter. Despite being very intelligent, he has shown some level of idiocy, such as when he found jail "a smart aleck's" paradise and mistook the Tasmanian Devil for a dog. * Daffy Duck (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Daffy Duck is the roommate of Bugs Bunny. Unlike Bugs and their neighbors, Daffy has no way of earning money and relies on Bugs for food and shelter. He has tried on numerous occasions to get rich quick, but ended up failing repeatedly. While Daffy's greed and jealousy of Bugs remains, it appears less antagonistic in the show. In the first episode, Bugs openly admits that Daffy is his best friend, despite his faults. Daffy has worked, and been fired from, numerous jobs due to negligence and/or incompetence. Despite this, however, Daffy has shown to be a very skilled hair dresser and successfully graduated beauty school. Daffy's three possessions that he is proud of are his blue recliner, his white collar (which he always wears), and his Papier-mâché parade float, constructed on top of a pickup truck, which is his main means of transport. * Porky Pig (voiced by Bob Bergen) – Porky Pig is one of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck's friends. Despite being extremely bright and bookish, Porky has an innocent, naive quality that Daffy frequently uses to his advantage, tricking Porky into parting with large sums of money or accompanying him in bizarre schemes. Porky originally worked a boring office job, but got fired following Bugs' example. He started his own catering company afterwards. In "Dear John," Porky was shown to have served on the city council. He starts a relationship with Petunia in the end of "Here Comes The Pig". In "Best Friends Redux", Daffy meets Porky's young self and ensures that he becomes good friends with Bugs & Rodney in their cabin, finally showing Porky an act of kindness. * Speedy Gonzales (voiced by Fred Armisen) – Speedy Gonzales is an extremely fast mouse who lives with Bugs and Daffy as their "mouse in the wall" and runs a pizza parlor called Pizzarriba. He is occasionally shown to act as Daffy's conscience. The episode "Sunday Night Slice" showed that Bugs bought his favorite restaurant Girardi's to prevent it from being closed and hired Speedy to help him. When Bugs decides he doesn't want to own a restaurant anymore, he hands ownership of it to Speedy who renames it "Pizzarriba". * Yosemite Sam (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – Yosemite Sam is one of Bugs and Daffy's neighbors. He is a liar, a thief, and a cheat, amongst other things. He tends to annoy Bugs and Daffy. * Lola Bunny (voiced by Kristen Wiig) – Lola is Bugs' scatter-brained, bubbly, obsessive girlfriend, who has a habit of speaking rapidly, whether anyone else is listening or not. When they first meet, Bugs falls in love with her, but after learning how crazy and ditsy she is, he loses interest and often tries to escape her company. Lola develops a huge obsession with Bugs Bunny that the latter finds creepy; Lola is never put off by Bugs' responses to behavior, that include taking photos of him in the shower, spying on him late at night, and often stalking him. Later in the series, however, Bugs eventually falls in love with Lola again which started when they went to Paris in the episode "Eligible Bachelors" and Bugs manages to stop her talking for a while. * Tina Russo (voiced by Jennifer Esposito in season one, Annie Mumolo in season two) – A new character original to the show, Tina Russo is a female duck who is Daffy's girlfriend. She works at a copy store called "Copy Place". Tina is another straight character of the show, with a no-nonsense personality. She first starts dating Daffy because "she likes a project"; she tolerates his selfish and arrogant behavior as she has a keen astuteness which allows her to read between the lines when they first meet; she works out that Daffy he is actually insecure and jealous, and that his vain attitude is really a front. Daffy is amazed she works this out so quickly, and later reveals Tina, through email, that he can't believe someone "so kind, beautiful, generous, and intelligent" would ever want to be with someone like him. After reading this, Tina is touched, and tells Daffy she loves him. Recurring characters * Mac and Tosh (voiced by Rob Paulsen and Jess Harnell) – Two gophers who run an antique store. * Tasmanian Devil (voiced by Jim Cummings) – In this show, the Tasmanian Devil is portrayed as walking on four legs like a real Tasmanian Devil and his eyes are bloodshot red (later turned yellow when Bugs uses a taming trick that Speedy Gonzales taught him). Initially, Bugs believed Taz to be a dog and kept him as a house pet much to Daffy's discomfort. Eventually, Bugs learned the truth and tried to return him to his home in Tasmania only to find out that Taz would rather live with him. When Taz is not causing trouble for Daffy, he has occasionally tried to eat Sylvester. In the episode "Ridiculous Journey," Taz spoke for the first time in the series and had bonded with Sylvester and Tweety while they evaded Blacque Jacques Shellacque. * Pete Puma (voiced by John Kassir) – A dimwitted puma who is one of Daffy Duck's friends and does various jobs around town. * Marvin the Martian (voiced by Eric Bauza) – A Martian who is one of Daffy Duck's friends. * Witch Lezah (voiced by Roz Ryan) – A witch who lives next door to Bugs Bunny and is often annoyed at the antics of Daffy Duck. Witch Lezah is also a hypnotherapist by trade. The character is based on Witch Hazel, with 'Lezah' being 'Hazel' spelled backwards. * Gossamer (voiced by Kwesi Boakye) – A large red furry monster who is the son of Witch Lezah. Unlike other versions, Gossamer is portrayed as a timid with a kind heart. * Granny (voiced by June Foray as an adult, Stephanie Courtney as young Granny) – An old lady who is one of Bugs Bunny's neighbors. Granny is revealed to have been a spy for the Allied side in WWII. In "The Grand Old Duck of York," it is revealed that Granny teaches piano lessons. ** Sylvester (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Granny's Tuxedo cat who would always try to eat Tweety, but fails when Granny catches on and spanks him to spit Tweety out. ** Tweety (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Granny's Yellow canary who is harassed by Sylvester. Tweety is revealed to have also been a spy for the Allies in WWII during Granny's youth. * Foghorn Leghorn (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Foghorn Leghorn is a rich rooster who has worked under various jobs. He and Daffy often get involved in various schemes. * Pepé Le Pew (voiced by René Auberjonois in season one, Jeff Bergman in season two) – Pepé Le Pew is a skunk who is the local Casanova. * Elmer Fudd (voiced by Billy West) – Elmer Fudd is the residential newsman. * Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner – Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are shown in short computer-animated segments in season one. Other characters * Dr. Weisberg (voiced by Garry Marshall) – Dr. Weisberg is a physician who Bugs and the other characters often visit. * Walter Bunny (voiced by John O'Hurley) – Lola Bunny's father who idolizes Bugs. * Patricia Bunny (voiced by Grey DeLisle in season one, Wendi McLendon-Covey in season two) – Lola Bunny's mother. * Carol (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - A beautiful blonde who is Foghorn Leghorn's assistant and limo chauffeur who tries (and fails) to bring reason to Foghorn Leghorn. * Henery Hawk (voiced by Ben Falcone) – A Chickenhawk that likes to target chickens. * Cecil Turtle (voiced by Jim Rash) – A turtle who formerly worked as a customer service representative at the Trans-Visitron cable company. He later becomes a scammer and an enemy of Bugs Bunny. * Frank Russo (voiced by Dennis Farina) – Tina Russo's dad. * Slowpoke Rodriguez (voiced by Hugh Davidson) – Speedy Gonzales' cousin who is the Sheriff of Tacapulco, Mexico. * Hugo the Abominable Snowman (voiced by John DiMaggio) – A Yeti that lives in Alaska. * Blacque Jacque Shellacque (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – A tracker who is the Canadian cousin of Yosemite Sam. * The Three Bears (voiced by Maurice LaMarche, Grey DeLisle, and John DiMaggio) – A family of bears consisting of Henry Bear, Mama Bear, and Junior Bear. * Beaky Buzzard (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A buzzard that rescues anyone in the desert in a hot-air balloon. * Petunia Pig (voiced by Katy Mixon) – A female pig that Porky develops a relationship with starting in "Here Comes The Pig". * Rodney Rabbit (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – A rabbit who is Bugs Bunny's old childhood best friend since summer camp. Episodes Season 1 A total of 26 episodes have been produced and aired. Season 2 A total of 26 episodes have been produced and aired. Production The Looney Tunes Show was first announced in July 2009. However, it was delayed several times before finally premiering on May 3, 2011. The characters feature new designs created by Ottawa artist Jessica Borutski over the course of two years. The animation is produced by Yearim, and Rough Draft Studios (along with Toon City in the first season.) The Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner CGI shorts are produced by Crew972. On July 29, 2014, producer Tony Cervone announced via Twitter that it was not renewed for a third season. Warner Bros. is now concentrating on production of the spin-off series Wabbit for the Looney Tunes franchise. Home media release Season 1 The first episode was released as a bonus feature on Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run. Music Two albums compiling songs from the show have been released digitally by WaterTower Music: * Songs from The Looney Tunes Show, Season One (2012) * Songs from The Looney Tunes Show, Season Two (2013) Reception Reaction to The Looney Tunes Show have been divided. Though the voice acting has received praise, the series has been criticized for its infrequent use of slapstick, its lack of cartoon gags, character designs, and the "sitcom-styled" format that consists of the characters living in a suburban neighborhood. The show, however, remained consistently popular, garnering an average of 2 million viewers every episode. In a 2010 interview with CBC News, series animator Jessica Borutski said in response to fan criticism of the series' new character designs, that the original designs were intended for adults and that "is time for a new generation to meet the characters." Borutski said, "a fresh, new design is the only way to keep characters alive." Cartoon historian Chris Robinson noted also that the mark the original characters have on fans is indelible, and that fans are not receptive to change. "Fans just really become attached to these things," Robinson said. "It's just so strongly rooted in their childhood that they're unable to separate themselves." Awards and nominations The Looney Tunes Show has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Direct-to-video film A direct-to-video film, Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, was announced on April 30, 2015, with an accompanying trailer. It was released on August 4, 2015 though it was released earlier on July 7, 2015 through Walmart and Vudu. External links * The Looney Tunes Show at Cartoon Network * Looney Tunes at WarnerBros.com * The Looney Tunes Show at Internet Movie Database * The Looney Tunes Show at Big Cartoon DataBase * The Looney Tunes Show: More Character Designs Revealed – /Film * The Totally Odd Couple Animation Magazine * Review: "The Looney Tunes Show" Variety Category:2010s American television series Category:2010s American animated television series Category:2011 American television series debuts Category:2014 American television series endings Category:Cartoon Network original programs Category:Animated sitcoms Category:Children's comedy series Category:Looney Tunes television series Category:Television series by Jariel Category:Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:English-language television programming Category:Television Category:Jariel Television Animation shows Category:Animated television series Category:Television series reboots Category:Jariel Cartoons Category:Based On Category:TV Series based off films